Within the realm of addiction treatment, it is not uncommon for individuals to feel as if there is a disconnection between themselves and their healthcare team. To bridge this gap, many treatment facilities provide services such as a recovery coach. There are many benefits that recovery coaches can bring to an individual’s sobriety and overall healing journey. Becoming familiar with these benefits can empower individuals seeking treatment to utilize this profound service.

Grace Recovery offers transitional living homes for women seeking treatment and recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). A recovery coach is assigned to each client working through our treatment programs to ensure proper management of their complete recovery experience.

Peer Support in Recovery

Although professional support and guidance are necessary for lasting recovery, the value of peer support should not be underestimated. Peer support includes the non-clinical assistance of family, friends, loved ones, as well as other peers in sobriety. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) explains that participation in substance use treatment without utilizing other recovery resources and supports is not sufficient for fostering long-term recovery. Peer support services include a range of person-centered supports to enable lasting recovery.

It is important to recognize, however, that there can be a disconnect when receiving peer support from those who have not experienced substance abuse or SUD. In this case, while technically also considered a “peer,” a recovery coach becomes an undeniably important asset for an individual’s ability to establish and maintain sobriety.

What Is a Recovery Coach?

A peer recovery coach opens clear channels between an individual, their collaborative treatment team, and their loved ones throughout treatment and recovery. Coaches often provide one-on-one services to an individual in recovery. The recovery coaches at Grace Recovery have a depth of experience in the recovery field, personal experience in successfully navigating the journey, and a focus on empowering people to thrive.

In addition to fostering emotional support and curating treatment plans, a recovery coach may be responsible for:

• Tracking recovery progress
• Verifying that treatment plans are being followed
• Ensuring that recovery goals are being met
• Providing information, including referrals and community resources
• Connecting a person with housing and/or employment resources

SAMHSA explains that a peer recovery coach “brings the lived experience of recovery, combined with training and supervision, to assist others in initiating and maintaining recovery, helping to enhance the quality of personal and family life in long-term recovery.” These individuals are often the ones who have been through treatment and recovery for SUD, making them vital resources for others seeking recovery.

How Can a Recovery Coach Benefit One’s Recovery?

There are a wide variety of benefits that a recovery coach can bring to an individual’s healing journey. Consider the following benefits they can bring:

Sustained Positive Behavior Change

Recovery coaches can help an individual in recovery to not only change their behavior but also commit to lasting behavior change. Behavior change is absolutely necessary for lasting sobriety. Professional treatment will help an individual address their problematic behaviors and work to overcome any ambivalence they may have surrounding behavior change. However, a recovery coach can ensure that the use of healthy, positive behaviors is being prioritized throughout recovery.

One of the reasons recovery coaches are known to help individuals sustain positive behavior change is that many recovery coaches have been through recovery themselves. Cultivating the necessary element of trust between a recovery coach and a client can help increase motivation and commitment to lasting behavior change.

Building Recovery Capital

According to Substance Use & Misuse, recovery capital is “the quantity and quality of internal and external resources that one can bring to bear to initiate and sustain recovery from addiction.” Recovery capital is a known predictor of sustained recovery. Recovery coaches help to build a client’s recovery capital by ensuring they have the knowledge of and access to effective recovery resources that can help them throughout their sobriety journey.

Improving Relationships With Providers and Supports

Another benefit of recovery coaches is that they can improve relationships between a client and their providers and other supports. These individuals offer a direct line of communication between a client and their treatment team, ensuring that a client’s needs are being met as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Additionally, it is true that therapists and other clinicians are treating a wide number of people at any given time. Recovery coaches can offer intimate, constant attention to a client whenever they may need it. This not only helps providers but also other support people who may not yet be well-versed in the realm of addiction recovery. Recovery coaches help to reduce conflicts and misunderstandings and, ultimately, help a client develop stronger relationships with others.

Increasing Treatment Retention, Satisfaction, and Effectiveness

Lastly, recovery coaches can help to increase treatment retention, satisfaction, and effectiveness for clients. Treatment retention is increased through relatability. Since a recovery coach has likely felt the same reservations a client may have toward sustaining lasting sobriety, a client may experience greater empowerment from a recovery coach to stay in treatment. This, in turn, can also increase a client’s satisfaction with treatment and increase their likelihood of utilizing aftercare services.

Additionally, recovery coaches can increase treatment effectiveness by providing a resource that can be used during crisis situations. A recovery coach walks alongside an individual during their treatment transitions and other life changes. During high-risk situations, they are always available to help an individual remove themselves from triggers and other situations that may jeopardize their sobriety.

A peer recovery coach is someone who has lived through addiction treatment and recovery that wants to enable lasting sobriety for others in treatment. These individuals provide emotional, informational, and behavioral support services for those seeking recovery from substance use disorder and other addictions. At Grace Recovery, each client is assigned a peer recovery coach to walk them through their recovery program. We offer transitional living homes and treatment services for women seeking treatment and recovery. We believe that recovery coaches are invaluable supports that assist clients in finding a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, and connection for their sobriety. To learn more about our services, call us today at (737) 237-9663.